Royals Untamed!. Annie West

the action, he brushed his lips lightly over hers, teasing and tempting her. She tried to resist, tried to move away, but his hand slipped around the back of her head, keeping her lips firmly against his.

      ‘Kazim...’ She pushed her hands against his chest, shocked by the hardness beneath her palms and the way her heart skittered like a leaf blown about in the wind. ‘Please, I can’t. Not yet.’

      Her voice echoed with appeal and as he sat back against the softness of the sofa she let out a breath of relief. The tenderness she’d thought she’d seen in his eyes moments ago was gone, replaced with granite hardness, and his lips that had set light to hers were pressed into a firm line. His mood had changed and the only reason she could see was that she hadn’t responded to him, hadn’t answered the primal call of her body for his.

      ‘In that case I will leave you. I have preparations to make for tomorrow’s meetings.’ He stood up, towering over her, emphasising the power he had. ‘Be ready to leave by ten.’

      ‘No,’ she snapped, jumping up, desperate to keep things as balanced as possible. ‘I need to know about Annie and Claude. I won’t go anywhere else with you until I do.’

      ‘Now who is using blackmail?’ He smiled at her, so full of self-assurance she wanted to scream.

      She shook her head quickly. ‘I’m merely responding to your blackmail, Kazim.’

      ‘You friend’s little boy will have all the help he needs. It is all in hand, exactly as I said it would be.’

      ‘You disapprove, don’t you? A stripper and a single mother shouldn’t mix with a princess; is that it?’ Her words were as hot as her body.

      ‘Your words, Amber, not mine, but true.’ His voice was so cool, so calm it was impossible to think this was the same man who’d just minutes ago ignited an inferno inside her.

      ‘I will not go anywhere unless you keep your side of the deal.’ Indignation made her sound petulant.

      He stopped so very close she could almost feel his breath as he lowered his head so that she thought he might kiss her again. ‘I meant every word I said tonight.’

      As she moved back she exhaled. At least he was going to keep his side of the bargain, but this meant she’d have to keep hers. She was trapped, being forced to do what he wanted, and she couldn’t do anything about it, not if she wanted Claude to receive the treatment he needed.

      He stood and looked at her, authority radiating from every pore in his magnificent body, her own protesting over what she’d denied it. She said nothing, but staying beneath his glacial gaze was as difficult as refusing his kisses.

      As if he’d sensed her turmoil, her need for space, he turned and strode to the master bedroom without a backward glance. She closed her eyes in relief, thankful she’d put her things in the second, much smaller bedroom. At least tonight she would sleep alone.

      * * *

      Kazim shut the door on Amber and ran his fingers through his hair, the heat of desire still thumping around his body, begging for release. The first time they’d spent a night together she’d thrown herself at him and now she was pushing him away. But he knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He’d seen it in her eyes.

      Whatever else was between them, the attraction that sizzled there wasn’t going to go away and he planned to explore it.

      She was his wife and he intended to claim her back—in every way.

       CHAPTER SIX

      THE SUN SHONE brightly as Amber watched the polo horses pounding up and down the field. This was the kind of glamour she hadn’t experienced before and in her new silk sundress she felt every bit as sophisticated and elegant as the other ladies. She was acutely aware of the interest Kazim’s presence was causing and the curious glances coming her way.

      She slipped on her sunglasses, which offered her a place to hide, and feigned interest in the game, anything to try and avoid the tension that sliced through the air whenever Kazim spoke to those around them. His deep voice kept drawing her attention, her body painfully aware of his presence after last night.

      This was the informal part of his business meeting, he’d explained as they’d arrived at the country hotel by helicopter a few hours earlier, and she was thankful that soon she could seek sanctuary in the luxury of their suite whilst he met with the other leaders in private. Being constantly near him was proving harder than she’d envisaged. In her heart she still loved him, but was it good for her to yearn after something so impossible? It hurt that he’d only looked for her out of duty and necessity and, if that hadn’t been bad enough, he’d made it clear he hadn’t come to Europe especially for her. She’d been nothing more than an afterthought.

      ‘Are you not enjoying the polo?’ Kazim’s voice startled her and she looked up, prickles of embarrassment colouring her face and a zip of awareness shooting down her spine.

      ‘I was thinking of Annie,’ she said tentatively after his admission last night. ‘I’m worried she will think news of Claude’s treatment is a hoax; after all, she has no idea who you are.’

      Kazim took two flutes of champagne from a passing waiter and set them on the table before sitting down opposite her, his long legs intimately close to hers, and she trembled, shocked by his nearness. ‘You are correct. Annie had no idea who I was, or indeed who you were,’ he said firmly. ‘But that is all sorted now.’

      ‘It is?’ she questioned as she picked up her champagne in an effort to appear calm. How had Annie taken that news? Knowing Annie, she wouldn’t have accepted Kazim’s explanation without giving him the third degree and she smiled to herself, wondering how he’d coped with that. Maybe she should have put more in her note, explained who Kazim was, at least? ‘But did you tell her about Claude’s treatment?’

      ‘I told her, exactly as I promised,’ he said as he looked out at the polo match. ‘Hasim, my cousin, the man I trust above all others will accompany them to America. They leave today.’

      She glanced at him. ‘So soon?’

      Applause rippled around them and she glanced out as a goal was scored. She looked back at Kazim, who hadn’t taken his eyes off the match.

      ‘When I want something I will do whatever is necessary to make it happen.’ The hidden innuendo didn’t go unnoticed. He’d as good as told her last night that he wanted her. Was this his way of making it happen?

      She watched as he sipped his champagne, loving the way the sun shone in his onyx hair. In fact she loved almost everything about this man. Despite all that had happened, she had done so since she’d first been introduced, the day she’d been told of their engagement by her parents. But she couldn’t let him know that; she couldn’t leave herself open for another rejection from him. She already knew from experience how lethally charming he could be if needed, just as he could be brutal and honest.

      ‘Thank you.’ She returned her attention to the polo match, not wanting him to see even the smallest trace of confusion on her face, because confused didn’t go halfway to explaining the tumult of emotions within her.

      ‘I always honour my promises,’ he said as he moved closer to her, keeping his words just for her ears.

      She turned quickly, her face suddenly so very close to his and, despite her sunglasses, she was sure he knew exactly the riot of feelings that were racing deep within her; she could see the same unrest mirrored in his eyes.

      ‘Very commendable,’ she said, adopting a light-hearted tone she was far from feeling, needing to gain control again. She had to distance herself from him, if not physically then certainly emotionally.

      He leant forward, putting his empty champagne flute on the table, his gaze holding hers all the time. The simmering sexual tension that rippled between them seemed to suddenly be at the point of exploding.